Prada Did Something MAJOR at Fashion Week, But No One Noticed

While critics were happy to celebrate Prada’s unique exploration of beauty—real vs. fake—on this season’s runway, one of the brand’s strongest comments on the matter went relatively unnoticed. Model Lineisy Montero, a 19-year-old hailing from the Dominican Republic, walked the luxury brand's runway with her natural hair: a small afro. Although an afro in itself is not surprising, it’s an all-too-rare sight in the fashion world, where black models tend to have their hair endlessly relaxed.

Though Prada has always been known to challenge the conventions of dress, it took a long time for the brand to do so in matters of diversity. For 15 years their shows starred an all-white cast—it wasn’t until Jourdan Dunn took to their runway in 2008 that non-white models were embraced.

“I truly didn’t understand how important [this] show was. I had not walked for any designer, ever,” Montero told The Guardian after the show. And her analysis is correct—it’s very important and, one hopes, influential. Unfortunately, when it comes to fashion, you never know if a major moment like this will lead to long-term change or if it's merely a fleeting headline. We’re crossing our fingers that it’s the former!

Read the full article over at The Guardian, and let us know your thoughts on Prada's decision in the comments!